HPD officers responded to the call of a mother,
a Hurricane Katrina evacuee, who claimed her infant son had been
kidnapped by an acquaintance from New Orleans. Investigators determined
that the suspect, who claimed to be pregnant, was permitted to
spend the night at the child's apartment after she stated that
she was tired. Upon waking Friday morning, the mother noticed
an apartment window had been broken out and her son, Ashton, and
the suspect were gone. Investigators following up on leads found
the suspect and the kidnapped infant at an apartment she shared
with her boyfriend and his parents at 6771 Westbranch Drive. The
suspect was taken into custody and baby Ashton was returned to
his mother in good condition.

Ruiz, who came to Houston in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina, had claimed to her family and boyfriend to
be pregnant and in fact wore balloons under her clothing to simulate
a pregnancy. When Ruiz was arrested, a balloon hidden under her
shirt floated to the ground. The suspect's boyfriend's family
was not aware of the kidnapping and assumed that the child was
Ruiz's. They have been cooperating with the investigation.

This is the second traumatic event for the Carter
family in recent months. On February 17, 2006, Ashton's twin brother
died at home, apparently from S.I.D.S.

NJM/JFC 3/31/06
Inc #50510006

For additional information, please
contact the HPD Public Affairs Division at 713-308-3200.